I Now Pronounce You Crane and Viper
by ArsenalReal14
Summary: Crane has to pretend to be Viper's husband so she won't get married to a guy she barely knows, but some things don't always go as planned, as Crane and Viper soon realize.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kung Fu Panda and its awesomeness**

I Now Pronounce You Viper and Crane

It was a quiet morning in the Jade Palace. Po, Tigress, Monkey, and Mantis were in the kitchen deciding what to eat.

"I could make dumplings," Po suggested.

"For breakfast?" Tigress asked.

Po shrugged. "How about rice cakes?"

"You made that yesterday!" Said Monkey.

"We have to decide on something," Tigress said. "Training starts in thirty minutes."

"Soup?" Mantis suggested after a few minutes of staring at the cabinet.

"Soup is good," Tigress said.

"I like soup," Monkey agreed.

"I'll start the stove," Po said turning on the stove, as his friends walked to the table. "So, what do you guys want..."

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What was that?" Po asked.

"I don't know," Mantis said, "But it came from Viper's room. Let's go! She might be hurt!"

The group rushed to Viper's room. They stood outside the door, waiting as though something was about to jump out at them.

"What do you think happened to Viper?" Monkey asked quietly.

"She probably broke a nail," Po said making Monkey and Mantis start laughing.

Tigress rolled her eyes. "She's a snake, Po. She doesn't have nails." Tigress carefully opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Po, Mantis, and Monkey. Her eyes widen when she saw the little snake crying on her bed.

"Hey, Viper, whats wrong?" Po asked gently.

Viper looked up when she saw her friends. She wiped away her tears with her tail. "Ohhh, it's horrible..."

"What's horrible?" Monkey asked.

"Daddy," Viper said shakily. "He sent me a letter." She pointed to the letter with her tail. "He wants me to come home." She started crying.

"It's okay, Viper," Po said reassuringly, petting her head. "Not everyone gets a long with their parents."

Viper shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just... Daddy wants me to get married. He said, if I'm not married, I have to marry this snake from my village, who I don't even know!"

"Then... Get married," Monkey said. Tigress and Mantis gave him a weird look. "To someone else rather than that snake guy... Guy snake..." He smiled.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Po said excitedly. "Why don't one of us, except Tigress, go with you to your village and pretend to be your husband. Your dad will be happy and you won't have to marry the other guy!"

Tigress groaned. Another brilliant plan, she thought sarcastically. "Po, that has to be one of the..."

"Po, that's a great idea!" Viper said happily, her tears going away. She looked at Po, Mantis, and Monkey. "Which one of you would make a good fake husband?"

"Viper, do you really think, you can fool your family into believing one them is your husband?" Tigress asked. "Your father is a great master, after all."

Viper looked sadly at the tiger. "What choice do I have, Tigress? This is a better option than getting married to someone I don't know. And daddy won't find out."

Tigress sighed. Viper was right. Pretend marriage did seem like a good idea, and fooling a great master isn't easy, but is possible. Like always, she gave in. "Okay... Then who will it be, Viper?"

"I'll do it!" Po offered. "I always wanted to meet Great Master Viper."

"I thought you were helping your dad at the noodle shop tomorrow?" Tigress said questioningly.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Viper."

"It's okay, Po." Viper smiled. Daddy would attack him, Dragon Warrior or not.

"Why not Mantis?" Po suggested.

"Too small." Sisters would eat him... Or play with him.

"Who are you calling small?" Mantis growled.

"That just leaves Monkey," Tigress said.

"Uhhh... I can't do it... Exactly..." Monkey said nervously.

"Why not?" Po asked.

"I don't really like snakes..."

"You trained with Viper for years," Tigress said incredulously. "How can you not like snakes?"

"I love Viper!" Monkey said quickly. "She's awesome and a great friend! And... She's... Fangless..."

Viper frowned. "Now who's going to be my fake husband?"

The door opened and Crane walked in giving them all confused looks. "Hey! What are all of you doing Viper's room? I thought you guys would be in..." He stopped, noticing the intent looks on their faces. "Why are all of you looking at me like that?"

"Crane, will do it," they all said together.

"What?" Crane asked.

Viper smiled and slithered over to him. "Crane, you will be my pretend husband when we go see daddy!" She sighed happily and wrapped herself around his legs, making him fall.

"And why do I have to be your pretend husband?"

Tigress sighed. "If you don't pretend to be Viper's husband, her father is going to marry someone else. We decided that you're the best choice for this."

"Why can't any of you guys do it?" Crane looked at Po, Monkey, and Mantis.

"Because," Viper said, "Mantis is too small..."

"I'm not small!" Mantis yelled.

Po grinned. "Tigress, Monkey, did you hear something?"

"Oh, that's it!" Mantis instantly lunged at Po face.

"AHHH! Get him off! Get him off!" Po flailed his arms trying to get a hold of Mantis. Monkey started laughing and Tigress tried to hide a smile.

"And why can't Po or Monkey do it?" Crane asked loudly over Po's screams.

"Po is helping his dad tomorrow at the noodle shop," Tigress replied a little louder.

"And will probably be receiving medical attention later today," Monkey added, watching Mantis pick up Po and slamming him from side to side.

"And Monkey can't do it because he's scared of snakes." Tigress hid a grin.

Crane gave Monkey an incredulous look. "You're... Scared of snakes? And you been training with Viper for how long?"

"Viper is different!" Monkey said trying to defend himself. "She doesn't have fangs!"

Viper rolled her eyes and slithered up to Crane's chest. She tried to hide a blush when she felt his heart speed up. "So, will you be my fake husband?"

"Do I have a choice at this point?"

"No." She tickled him lightly with her tail.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Po, Mantis, he said, yes!" Monkey said as his friends continued fighting.

"Great!" Said Po and Mantis, stopping their fight to take a break

"Yes, and if Viper gets off me, we can go."

"Sorry," Viper said blushing. She moved off Crane's chest and onto the floor. Crane stood up and fixed his hat.

"Ready to go, Viper?"

Viper smiled. "Yes... Tigress, tell Master Shifu where we're going, but don't tell him the plan."

"We'll try to keep it silent," Tigress said frowning at Po and Mantis, who went back fighting, and Monkey, who was cheering them on. Tigress picked up a glass of water on Viper's desk, and poured the water on Po and Mantis.

"What was that for?" Po asked throwing Mantis off of him.

"Crane and Viper are leaving," Tigress said calmly.

"Good luck," said Monkey.

"We promise to write," Viper said happily.

"We'll let you know if anything goes wrong," Crane added seriously.

What could go wrong? Viper wondered. She pushed the thought aside, convinced, Crane worries too much.

"Just promise, nothing will go wrong," Tigress said.

"Like Viper said, we'll write you and let you know what's going on. We'll probably be there awhile."

"It depends on daddy, and how well you get a long with him," Viper said.

"Goodbye," Crane said to the rest of the five and Po. "Remember Shifu. He'll disapprove if he finds out the plan, then both of us will be in trouble."

"We know," said Tigress. "We'll try to think of something to cover up the plan. But, goodbye for now."

"Bye! We'll miss you!" Viper said cheerfully, as her and Crane walked out the door.

Viper was happy, Crane noticed as they walked out the doors of the Jade palace. Relieved is also a good way to put it. On the other hand, he was more anxious. A part of him felt as though something would go wrong. He looked at Viper before walking down the steps that lead away from the safety of their friends.

What have I gotten myself into?

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><p><strong>AN: Hey this is my first Kung Fu Panda fic. I hope you enjoy it so far... Its seems kinda short but it'll get longer. <strong>

**Read and Review and Thanks for Reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kung Fu Panda**

I Now Pronounce You Viper and Crane 2

"Sooo, daddy is pretty strict," Viper said to Crane, as they walked through the bamboo forest. "But once you get to know him he's really nice and sweet."

"He's fangless, too?" Crane asked, remembering the story about Great Master Crane, loosing his fangs when he fought the gorilla.

Viper sighed sadly. "Yes. He was devastated when he lost his fangs but he was so proud of me when I took down that gorilla with my ribbon dancing."

Crane shook his head smirking.

Viper frowned when she saw this. "What?"

"I still can't believe you did ribbon dancing," Crane said.

"You can ask anyone in the village!" Viper said loudly, her voice echoing off the bamboos. "I was the best ribbon dancer in the whole village!"

"I know... I saw you practicing your ribbon dance in your room... You're really good, Viper... Really pretty..." Wait, what?

"I..." Her voice trailed off when she realized what he said. She hid a blush which slowly started to form on her face. She wanted to say something, she wanted to thank him, but the words were caught in her throat.

"Your dancing," Crane said hoping to cover up the awkward moment and the silence that fell between them, "It's really pretty..."

Viper found her voice. "Oh... Thank you, Crane." She sighed sadly. Her dancing was pretty. Everyone in her village told her that!

Crane noticed something in her voice. Discontentment? Sadness? Viper always seemed happy when he saw her around the Jade Palace. He liked seeing her happy. He wanted her to be happy. That was all the push he needed...

"How about your sisters?" He asked, hoping it would get Viper to start talking again.

"Oh, what?" She looked at Crane after he pulled her out of her thoughts.

"You were telling me about your family." Crane said.

He spent the whole time listening to Viper talk about her family. He wasn't that close to her on a personal level, like Tigress and Monkey were, so it was a nice way to get to know Viper. And a good way to learn about her family, since he was going to be staying with them for awhile.

"At the Jade Palace, you said you had three sisters. How are they?"

Viper's smile returned, to Crane's relief. "My sisters are great! They're sooo much fun. We did everything together! Played games, cook, go shopping, and go to the hot springs. They were so jealous when I told them I was training at the Jade Palace, and I'm part of the Furious Five."

Crane smiled. "They'll be happy to see you. After all, it's been awhile since you seen them."

"Yeah. I miss them sometimes... When we get to my village, I'll take them shopping, then we'll go out to eat, ohh and then we'll go to the hot springs! To make it up for being gone for so long!"

Crane rolled his eyes. Girl things. "Sounds like fun," he said disinterestedly.

Viper laughed. "You'll come with us, Crane!"

His eyes widen. Hanging out with just Tigress and Viper is great, because most of the time, they're training, but Viper and her sisters, that's... Not going to end well. Crane saw mini-Vipers climbing all over him, bouncing on him, and stealing his hat. No, it wasn't going to end well...

"You should just spend time with your sisters," Crane said. "I'll just stay home and train. I mean, we spend a lot of time together... Training, that is."

"Yeah, but you never seen my village! There's a lot to do! I want to show you everything. You're the only friend who's going to see it!"

Unless, the rest of the five and Po, randomly decide to take a vacation to Viper's village, Crane thought. He hid a smirk, now thinking about telling Po where they could go for vacation. He turned back to Viper. "I guess you and your sisters can show me around the village."

"I have an idea... I'll spend time with my sisters during the day and I'll show you around my village at night!"

"Or we can train so Shifu won't kill us for being out of shape when we get back to the Jade Palace."

Viper rolled her eyes. "You're no fun, Crane. Just have fun! This is like an early vacation for us!"

"I don't really think this is a vacation for me. I'm pretending to be your husband to keep you from getting married. This is more like a vacation for you, Viper."

Viper sighed and glided smoothly up Crane's back, wrapping herself around him. "You're really tense, Crane. What's really bothering you?"

He sighed. "I'm worried about our friends not coming up with a good enough story, I'm worried about Shifu finding out about the plan and..." I'm worried about you having to marry another guy... He couldn't say that for some reason.

He looked as though he's about to say something, Viper thought. What was it? "And?" She persisted.

"And... That's it..."

"Our friends will come through for us. They always do, especially Po!"

Crane scoffed. "Po. You really think he's going to pull through for us?"

"He always does, Crane," Viper said sliding off his back and moving in front of him to keep him from walking. She smiled reassuringly. "Trust our friends, Crane. Trust me... Po and the rest of the five will pull through for us..."

Crane wanted to believe her. He really wanted to tell her, he believed her, that their friends will pull through, and everything will be okay, but... He couldn't, because a part of him didn't believe her...

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><p><strong>AN: Okay... I was going to end it here but I decided this chapter is too short. So, the next part is whats suppose to be in chaper three but I want to focus that chapter on Crane meeting Viper's family, so enjoy and Happy Holidays :). Read and review and thanks for reading :).<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Jade Palace...<em>

"Guys! Master Shifu says it's time to start training!" Mantis said coming into the the kitchen where Po, Tigress, and Monkey were.

Tigress frowned has she stood up. Po, Monkey, and her spent the time trying to come up with a story about why Viper and Crane had to suddenly go to Viper's village together. So far, they haven't thought of anything good enough.

"Have you thought of a good enough story?" Mantis asked.

"I did," said Po. "But, Tigress, said it was "'impossible.'"

Monkey rolled his eyes. "Because, it is impossible."

"What was it?" Mantis asked. "It can't be that bad."

"Okay," Po started, "Viper and Crane ran away because they were secretly in love, and Viper was going to have a baby. And they only told us because they were worried about what everyone in the village will think... See, Mantis! That is a perfect story!"

Tigress sighed and slapped her paw to her forehead. "Po, after training, I'm going to explain to you how it's impossible for Viper and Crane to have babies together."

"And even if it was possible, Crane and Viper wouldn't have to 'runaway to be together.' It would take awhile for the village and Master Shifu to accept their 'relationship,' but they would accept it overall." Monkey added.

"It could be true!" Po cried. "Viper and Crane in love and having babies."

"Yeah," Mantis laughed. "In a scary story." Monkey started laughing too.

"Guys this is serious," Tigress said. "We need to figure out what we're going to tell Master Shifu."

"Tell me what, exactly, Tigress?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kung Fu Panda**

I Now Pronounce You Viper and Crane 3

"What did you want to tell me, Tigress?" Shifu asked her.

"Oh! I just wanted to..." Her voice trailed off nervously when she saw him look at Po, Monkey, and Mantis.

"And where are the others? Master Crane and Master Viper?" Shifu asked.

"Viper..." Tigress started.

"Viper went back to her village!" Po finished loudly, earning a glare from Tigress.

"Her village? Why is she going back to her village on such short notice?"

Po leaned into Tigress's ear. "Can we please go with my story?" Po asked whispering, but was still heard by Monkey and Mantis.

Monkey laughed. "You mean, Viper running away because she's secretly pregnant?" Realizing what he said outloud, Monkey instantly covered his mouth.

"What?" Shifu's eyes widen. "Master Viper is pregnant?"

"Idiot!" Mantis growled hitting Monkey behind the head.

"No, no!" Tigress said quickly, taking in Shifu's shock. "Viper isn't pregnant." She sent a glare at Po and Monkey. "They were just... Joking! You see, it's really one of Viper's sisters!"

"Yeah," Po said, coming to Tigress's aid. "Viper needed to leave because one of her sisters is pregnant... Not, Viper. Noooo... Not Viper..."

"Oh," Shifu said relieved. "I see. That does make more sense. But why did Master Crane go with her?"

"Crane..." Tigress stopped, trying hard to think of something, but the only thing that came to her was Po's story. She groaned. Stupid panda.

"Crane went because the journey to her village is dangerous," Mantis finished quickly. "He said..." Mantis looked at Monkey, asking for help.

"He said, Viper might get hurt if she went by herself," Monkey added. "So, he decided to go with her... You know, as friends... That's it..."

Shifu looked at each of them for a few minutes before shrugging and walking away. "Fair enough! Now let's get training! All of you missed an hour of training!"

"Yes, Master Shifu," they all said.

"That was a close one," Mantis said when they were sure Shifu was gone.

"Too close," Tigress said leaning against the wall with a sigh of relief. "Let's just hope Viper and Crane get back soon, or else we'll need to think of another story."

"In that case we may have to use part of your story, Po" Monkey said seriously.

Tigress pulled herself off the wall. "Let's just hope it doesn't get to that point... We better get to training before Shifu starts wondering where we are. We'll worry about this later... And, Po..."

"Yes, Tigress?" Po asked excited.

"I'm still having that talk with you, after training, on why Crane and Viper can't have babies together, now let's get to training..."

* * *

><p>"We're here, Crane!" Viper cried bouncing happily on the ground. They were standing outside the village gate, and Viper was excited to be back. "We're at my village!"<p>

"Calm down, Viper," Crane said holding back a smile and a laugh, as the gates opened.

Viper stopped bouncing. "Sorry, Crane, I'm just so happy to be home! Let's go!"

"Viper, hold..."

Before Crane could finish, Viper already took off fast. Crane smiled. He never seen her move that fast, except for training and maybe shopping. He took off after her, running to keep up with the little snake, but ended up stopping to admire the many homes, shops, stores, restaurants, and stands in the village. There were decorations everywhere, and there were little children running around, playing. A small rabbit ran into Crane's leg, almost making him fall, but Crane caught himself.

"Sorry!" The little rabbit said.

Crane smiled. "It's all right." He watched as the little rabbit ran off with his friends.

It was just like the Valley of Peace, but this village had more. Viper was right, Crane thought remembering when she told him there was a lot to do in her Village... His eyes widen. Viper... Where's Viper? Looking through the large crowd he could make out a green tail with three rings on it. Shoving his way through, he tried to catch up with Viper, but he lost her again. He stopped. Maybe Viper will realize, he's not with her and will come looking for him... Or maybe...

"Hey!" Crane walked over to a restaurant owner. For second, he thought it was Mr. Ping, Po's father.

"Welcome. I'm Mr. Cheng!" The owner said smiling, "Come in, what would you like? There's a two for one special!"

Now he's just like Mr. Ping. "Can you tell me where Great Master Viper lives?" Crane asked ignoring his question.

The owner frowned and pointed to a pair of red doors with gold snakes on the front. "Through those doors, you'll see steps leading to a house overlooking the ocean. That's where Great Master Viper lives."

"Thank you."

"Please, comeback soon!" Mr. Cheng called out to him.

"You can count it!" Crane said as he pushed open the doors. He had a strange feeling he would be spending a lot of time at Mr. Cheng's restaurant. It did remind me of home, he thought. He shook the thought out of his head. What was he thinking? He wasn't the type to get homesick. Then again... He had no idea how long him and Viper would be staying here.

"Crane! What took you so long?"

Crane looked down and saw Viper. He sighed. "I lost track of you and got lost."

"Oh. I thought you were behind me." She blushed, feeling bad for running away from Crane.

"I was, but I stopped to admire your village. I guess that's why I got lost in the first place."

Viper smiled. "You'll have plenty of time to admire the village, Crane, but let's go!"

Crane followed her up the steps leading up to a small house. "This is where you grew up?" He asked tasting the salty ocean air.

"Yeah. When I was younger, daddy would take me to the beach." She stopped and looked at the ocean, the waves crashing against the shore. "I remember watching the sunset from here because daddy wouldn't let me watch it from the mountains."

"The mountains?"

"There." Viper pointed to the snowcapped mountains that overlooked the house the whole village.

Crane's eyes widen and he wondered, how he didn't see the mountain when they first came here.

"The sunset is nicer up there and you could see the whole village from the mountains. On the other side of the mountains is the hot springs."

"Maybe we could go there, the beach, the mountains... The hot springs," Crane said looking at Viper. "You can show me."

Viper blushed realizing Crane wanted her to spend time with him. Before she could say anything, she was tackled to the ground. Looking at who tackled her, it was her three sisters. When Viper got up, she hugged all of them.

"I missed you girls sooo much!" Viper cried happily.

"We missed you too, Viper!" One of them cried.

"How's the Jade Palace?"

"Are you really friends with the Dragon Warrior?"

Crane smiled, watching Viper talk to her excited sisters. Mini-Vipers aren't too far off the mark. Viper's sisters were small, tiny snakes. They were loud, happy, and... Bouncy... They reminded Crane of Viper when she was younger. Viper grew up since then, but she was still the same.

"Viper! Whos this?" A loud voice iteruptted Crane's thoughts. Looking behind him was one of Viper's sisters, bouncing on his back.

"Jia, get off him!" Viper said sternly.

"It's all right, Viper," Crane said reassuringly. "I don't mind."

"He's cute!" Looking behind him again, Crane noticed the other two on his back.

"Who is he, Viper?"

"This is Master Crane from the Jade Palace and one of the Furious Five."

"No way!" They cried happily, making Crane jump in surprise.

Viper smiled. "Yes. He's the the master of crane style and..." Her voice trailed off.

Crane sighed and closed his eyes. Here it comes...

"And... My husband..."

It was quiet and the mini-Vipers stopped bouncing on his back. Crane opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief...

"NO WAY!" All three of them screamed in surprise and happiness. Crane flinched.

Viper laughed. "Yes! This is my husband, Master Crane." She smiled at Crane. "And, Crane, these are my little sisters, Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling."

"They're... Cute," He said making sure it was the right word. It must've been because they started giggling and bouncing. I wonder where they get the bouncing from, Crane thought looking at Viper.

"Viper, lets go see mamma and daddy!" Xiang said.

Viper sighed. "Yes... Let's..." She started leading Crane up the steps, her three sisters bouncing and chatting happily, about the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior, while riding on Crane's back. They stood at the door. "Are you ready?" She asked Crane in a soft, worried voice.

"Yeah... Don't worry, Viper, everything will be fine."

"Hope so," Viper said softly knocking the door with her tail. She felt something soft on her back. Her eyes met Crane's.

"I'm here, Viper," he said softly, petting her back with his wing.

She nodded as the door started to open. "I know and thank you..."

"Viper!" a soft voice said.

Crane saw an older green snake with a long gray mustache and gray eyebrows. Great Master Viper. He saw Viper give him a hug, or... The snake version of a hug. Next to Great Master Viper was another green snake who looked just like Viper. Her mother, he realized. I guess that's where Viper and her sisters get their beauty from.

"Viper, you look beautiful," Great Master Viper said. "I'm so glad you're back home!" He smiled. "While you were gone, I found the perfect man for you, and he wants to meet you."

"Daddy, tell Howin to go away," Mei-Ling said.

Great Master Viper noticed the crane and his three daughters bouncing on his back. He turned to Viper. "Your friend?"

"No, daddy!" Xiang said laughing, before Viper could say anything.

"This is Viper's husband!" Jia said.

The Great Master's eyes widen and his mouth dropped. Viper's mother just stared in silence, but, to Crane's surprise, she didn't seem shocked. It was quiet between all of them. Viper's sisters stopped bouncing and just watched their father. Crane felt Viper move closer to him. He could feel her shaking against him, and he placed his wing on her back.

He's here, Viper thought, thinking of Crane. That thought in mind, she broke the silence. "Daddy, this is Master Crane, my husband. We trained together at the Jade Palace, and he's part of the Furious Five."

Great Master Viper just nodded. "Why don't you two come inside? Both of you must be tired from your journey here." He looked at his wife before turning back to Crane and Viper. "My wife will take you to your room. Later tonight we'll go out and have dinner together." With that, the Great Master went back inside and went into a room, closing the door behind him.

Viper's mother smiled reassuringly at them. "Come inside. Both of you need to rest before going to dinner... Jia, Xiang, Mei-Ling, get off Master Crane, he needs rest."

The three mini-Vipers slid off his back. Crane smiled at them and pat all three of them on the head before following Viper inside the house with her mother. Viper's mother lead them down the hallway, past Great Master Viper's room, and to a room at the very end of the hallway. She slid open the door and smiled.

"Viper, you and Master Crane will be staying in your old room."

"Wow," Crane said stepping inside and looking around the room. "Why is it so... Pink?"

Viper's mother laughed. "It was Viper's favorite color when she was little. I hope you don't mind."

Crane smiled and sat on Viper's medium sized bed. "It's perfect."

"I'll talk to your father, Viper," her mother whispered reassuringly.

"Thank you," Viper said, letting her mother close the door. When Viper turned to Crane, she saw him laying on her bed with his hat on the floor. Crane noticed her.

"What's on your mind, Viper?" Crane asked.

She sighed. "I don't think daddy likes you."

"I know," Crane said calmly.

"But my sisters and my mother seem to like you a lot," she added reassuringly. "Mamma says she's going to talk to daddy."

Crane closed his eyes. "He thinks we're married. Because of that, he can't really do anything."

"He could kill you," Viper said yawning tiredly.

"You should get some sleep," Crane suggested.

"Where do I sleep?" Viper asked.

"This bed," Crane said awkwardly.

Oh yeah, we're suppose to be married, Viper realized. She moved to the bed and climbed in next to Crane. Viper closed her eyes and laid on her side facing away from him.

Crane stared awkwardly at the ceiling. Remembering what Viper said, about her father could kill him, he sighed. "Viper. Are you awake?"

"A little... Is something wrong, Crane?"

"No, it's just... About what you said, your father could kill me..."

"He could, Crane," she said sadly.

"He could but he wouldn't... He doesn't want to see you sad and upset..." Crane thought of something for a second. "Viper... If you lost me or if something really bad happened to me, would you be... Sad?"

After some silence, Crane realized she was already asleep. Crane sadly closed his eyes. It was something he really wanted her to answer... He wanted to see if she really cared about him and... If he meant something to her...

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><p><strong>AN: Happy Holidays! :) I hope everyone had a great Christmas... This chapter is a little bit longer, sorry if there are any errors, I didn't feel like looking it over. Anyway I hope you like it. Next chapter Crane goes out to dinner with Viper and her family and you get to meet the guy Viper's father wants her to marry... So yeah its getting better :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

I Now Pronounce You Crane and Viper 4

Viper tiredly opened her eyes. Her sisters were knocking at her bedroom door, telling her and Crane to wake up because they were going to a nice restaurant for dinner.

Dinner? Viper wondered, sitting up and stretching. Looking around her room, she realized it was dark. Night already? She saw Crane, through the night, still sound asleep. He's kinda cute when he's sleeping, Viper thought. She almost didn't want to wake him, but she had to, so she started poking him with her tail.

"Crane," she yawned, "Its time to wake up."

When he didn't move she rolled her eyes and sighed. Viper moved onto his chest and tried tickling him, but he just shifted in his sleep. Sighing again, she bounced into the air before landing on his chest. Crane's eyes flew open as he sat up and rubbed the spot where Viper landed on. When he heard her giggle, he frowned.

"Why did you wake me?" Crane asked tiredly.

"We're going to a nice restaurant, so we need to wake up," Viper said moving out of her bed.

"Still tired," Crane said, standing up and stretching before putting on his hat.

Viper laughed. "We'll have plenty of time to sleep together when dinner is over."

Crane's eyes widen and he looked at her. "What?" Did she just say what I thought she said? He could feel himself blushing.

Viper could feel herself start to grow warm, when she realized what she said. She wasn't quite sure if she was blushing, but she was sure she was. She was relieved it was dark and Crane couldn't see it. Viper looked away unable to come up with the right words.

"Viper, are you and Crane ready yet?" Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling stood in the now open doorway.

"Yes," Viper said starting to cool down, but only a little. "We're ready."

"Good, because we're hungry!" Xiang whined.

"You're always hungry, Xiang!" Jia said.

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Am not..."

Viper and Crane smiled and followed the fighting mini-Vipers as they lead them outside. Crane instantly took in the cool, salty sea air and the crashing waves.

"The sea is lovely at night, isn't it?" A gentle voice said.

Before he could answer, his eyes landed on Great Master Viper. It was quiet. Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling had stopped fighting and were watching their father. Crane could feel Viper shaking against him. He looked at her and touched her gently with his wing. His eyes met Viper's mother. She smiled reassuringly at him. Looking back at Great Master Viper, he seemed different...

"I love the sea at night, Master Crane," Great Master Viper said. "The waves are calming and soothing."

"They are," Crane said feeling stupid for not being able to come up with something else to say.

The Great Master started coming closer. Viper pressed herself closer to Crane, her heart racing.

"Viper, go to your mother and sisters," the Great Master said calmly. "I would like to speak to Master Crane."

"Daddy," Viper said nervously.

"Viper."

"Daddy, I can't... You can't..." She said desperately. "He's my husband... You can't..."

"Viper!" The Great Master snapped.

Viper hesitantly pulled herself away from Crane, but not before kissing his wing. She walked over to her mother and sisters. "Please, don't hurt him."

"It'll be okay, Viper," Crane said reassuringly. He wasn't so sure about that. Great Master Viper seemed calm, and that's what worried him the most. Calm before the storm. When the Great Master stood in front of him and rose to meet Crane's height and eyes, Crane did his best to stay calm and not show nervousness.

"Daddy, please don't hurt him!" Viper said, her voice filled with panic.

"Master Crane." Great Master Viper's voice was menacing and Crane was convinced the Great Master was going to kill him, but to his surprised, he bowed. "I believe we gotten off on a bad start, for that, I'm sorry."

Crane heard Viper let out a sigh of relief. The Great Master met his eyes. "Sir, I'm..."

"No, no," the Great Master said, "It was my fault, Master Crane. My wife convinced me otherwise. I was just... Surprised Viper decided to marry so quickly, but I see both of you are in love..."

Love? Crane thought.

"So, I accept it overall..."

"Uhh... Thank you, Great Master," said Crane, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Thank you so much, I... I just want to make Viper happy." Love, he thought again.

Great Master Viper smiled. "She made a perfect choice... Now let's go eat!" He went back to his wife and started going down the steps followed by the mini-Vipers, leaving Crane with a stunned Viper. "I hope you like fish, Master Crane!" He called back while continuing down the steps.

When Crane was sure him and Viper were alone, he looked at Viper and let out a sigh of relief. She looked at him and he could see hurt, worry, and... Something else he never seen in her. Love, he thought. He shook the thought out of his head. No! Something wasn't right, something didn't feel right! He had to tell Viper.

"Viper..." Before he could say anything else, Viper had wrapped herself around him. Sighing deeply, he held her as she sobbed tearfully into his chest. "Viper," he said gently.

"Crane, I'm so glad... I thought daddy was going to kill you..." She pulled away, tears still in eyes. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you, Crane."

He smiled and wiped away her tears. "I'm here, Viper. I not going to leave you, I promise..."

"I promise, I won't leave you, Crane."

"Viper," Crane said after a moments silence. "I need to tell you something..." He sighed. "Viper, I..."

"Viper!" Crane and Viper turned to Xiang. "Daddy, is wondering where you are? And what are you doing?"

Viper rolled her eyes. "Crane and I were just talking, Xiang. Let daddy know we're coming down."

Xiang started going down the steps. When she was gone, Crane shook his head and started going down the steps. Viper stopped him, gently touching his wing.

"Crane, what did you want to tell me?" Viper asked.

This was it. The right time for him to say whatever he wanted to her. They were alone, it was dark except for the full moon, that seemed to sit on the ocean. The waves crashing against the shore was soothing and relaxing, the salty, sea air was simply intoxicating. He didn't know when he would get another chance like this, to talk to Viper about something that could change... Everything!

"I'll tell you later," Crane said. He shook the thoughts out of his heads. Snap out of it, Crane, he told himself angrily, You're a Kung Fu Master and Viper is one of your friends! Nothing is suppose to change! This is a mission and that's it! Don't over think this!

"Crane, is there something wrong?" Viper asked quietly.

"No... Everything is fine, Viper... Lets just go eat, and forget I mentioned it..." He could see hurt written on her face. He didn't mean for it to sound harsh, but it was the only way to remind him that, they're friends and that's it.

Viper stared at him. She wasn't sure if she was more hurt or more confused. Not knowing what to say, she said, "Okay."

Hearing the hurt in her voice, Crane was ready to talk to her, ready to hug her, ready to do anything to make her smile, but Viper was already going down the steps. He quietly followed her. He could see Great Master Viper, his wife, and the mini-Vipers coming into view.

"There you two are!" Great Master Viper said. "Is something wrong?" He asked noticing their pained expressions.

"Just exhausted," Crane said. It was kind of the truth. It has been a long day, and will probably be a longer night.

"Same," Viper said simply. She couldn't come up with a reason.

"Daddy, Viper is upset because she thought you were going to hurt Master Crane!" Mei-Ling said.

That too, Viper thought.

Great Master Viper laughed. "Lets go into the village. That will lighten your moods, Master Crane, Viper."

The Great Master opened the red doors, leading them inside. In an instant, Crane was engulfed in bright lights and loud boisterous music. The village was filled with excitement and celebration. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of everything.

"It's always like this." Crane turned to Viper who was by his side smiling as they walked through the crowd.

"You have a lovely village, Viper."

"Thank you, Crane."

"We're here!" Declared Great Master Viper.

They were now standing outside a small restaurant, that looked quiet and empty. Crane didn't think that much of it. It doesn't look very fancy, Crane thought. Mr. Ping's noodle shop is nicer than this!

"I love this place!" Viper cried happily.

Crane's eyes were wide. "Haha, you do?"

"Yeah! When I was little, and when my sisters weren't born..."

"Hey!" The mini-Vipers said glaring at their older sister.

Viper laughed and hugged them. She smiled, looking back at Crane. "Anyway, when I was a little snake, I came here all the time with daddy! I miss this place so much!"

"Oh." Crane said, feeling stupid. This is Viper's village and he didn't know anything about it.

"Come inside, Master Crane, unless you like eating outside." In the doorway was Great Master Viper.

Crane looked around realizing he was alone and Viper was already inside. Hiding a blush he walked in with the Great Master. Great Master Viper lead him to a private room in the back of the restaurant. The room was pretty big, with red walls and a long table in the center with chairs around it. Crane took a seat next to Viper, who was looking at a menu.

"There you are, Crane!" Viper said upon noticing him. "What took you so long?"

"I was..." His voice trailed off but Viper didn't seem to notice because she was getting him a menu.

"Here's the menu. Pick anything that sounds good."

Crane paged through, reading the names of the food and the descriptions. Most of the food, he never heard of. He closed the menu.

"Did you decide what you wanted?" Viper asked.

"What are you getting?" Crane asked.

"The grilled salmon with sweet and sour sauce with a side of rice."

Good thing Viper has good taste, Crane thought. "I'll get that, then."

"You sure you don't want to try the octopus?" Viper suggested.

Octopus? "I'll pass. Thanks."

Viper laughed. A waitress came by and took their orders, another came by and offered them some wine. Viper waved her on.

"We can't have wine," Viper said remembering what Shifu said about drinking.

"It's perfectly fine, Viper," said Great Master Viper from the end of the table. Holding a glass of wine in his tail, he smiled reassuringly.

"Master Shifu says, we're not allowed to drink because it's dangerous for us and it'll get in the way of our training."

The Great Master laughed. "A few drinks won't hurt, Viper. Just try it." He nodded to the waitress, telling her to fill Crane and Viper's glasses.

Crane looked at the bright, red liquid in his glass. He never had wine before, but he knew the effects of alcohol. Shifu constantly reminded them about, not drinking alcohol when they go on missions or into the village.

Crane brought the glass to his lips. One drink won't hurt. He felt the bittersweet liquid tingle as it went down. He shivered at the taste. Not bad, he thought with a grin. Crane finished the rest of his wine and put his glass down. Master Shifu doesn't know what he's missing.

"Yuck!" Crane looked at Viper, who was now chugging down some water. At the end of the table, Great Master Viper was laughing a long with his wife.

"Do you like it, Viper?" The Great Master asked still laughing.

"No! It makes me sick, and it makes me want to throw up!"

"It's not that bad, Viper," Crane said smiling. "It's pretty good."

"You can have mine," Viper said pushing her glass towards him.

Crane drank some of Viper's wine. It tasted good and he liked the tingling sensation. He didn't know why Viper didn't like it.

"So, you two met at the Jade Palace?" Great Master Viper said.

"Yeah," Viper said happily. "We trained together, we're both part of the Furious Five, and we were friends!"

"What drew you two together?" Viper's mother asked with interest.

Viper looked at Crane for help. "Viper was really nice to me when I first came to the Jade Palace," Crane said breaking the silence. The Great Master and his wife stared at him with interest, and so were the mini-Vipers and Viper. Crane started to feel a little nervous. He was going to them how he first came to the Jade Palace, a story he didn't tell anyone... "I-I was the last to come to the Jade Palace and the last to join the Furious Five... I-I was nervous because I was leaving my friends at my old Kung Fu School, and I didn't think I'd make any new friends.

"When I came to the Jade Palace, Viper was the nicest out of all of them. She didn't make fun of me, she helped me unpack, she showed me around the Jade Palace and the village, she cheered me on when I sparred with Tigress, Monkey, and Mantis, and... She took care of my wounds after I was knocked out by Tigress... Viper is a good friend and I'm glad she chose me..."

It was quiet afterwards. Crane looked at Viper. Her eyes were wide and she was speechless.

"Hey, the food is here!" Jia said as the waitresses placed their food in front of them.

"You'll love the food here, Master Crane," Great Master Viper said.

"Looks good," Crane said looking at his salmon. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating. He looked at Viper. Her food was untouched and she wasn't moving. "Viper?" Crane gently touched her back.

"Oh! What?"

"The food is here," Crane said. He watched as she shakily picked up her chopsticks and looked at her salmon. "Is something wrong, Viper?"

She set down her chopsticks and looked at him. "You... You remembered all that?"

"How can I forget?" Crane asked. "You were really nice to me and you were a good friend. How can I forget everything you did for me when I first came to the Jade Palace?"

Viper's eyes were filled with compassion. "Crane, I..."

"Howin, I told you not to come here!" Crane and Viper turned to Great Master Viper. Next to him was a red snake. "In the letter I sent you this afternoon, I told you, my daughter is already married, and she will not be interested in your advances."

"Already married?" The red snake said angrily. "To who?"

"Me," Crane spoke up.

The red snake was in his face in an instant, trying to intimidate him. Crane remained unmoved. "And you are?"

"I'm Master Crane from the Jade Palace and the Valley of Peace."

"He's also part of the Furious Five," Mei-Ling added.

"And he's friends with the Dragon Warrior," Xiang said.

The red snake looked at Viper. His eyes soften as he moved over to her and wrapped himself around her. "You know, Viper, I can do Kung Fu too. Maybe we can train together sometime."

Viper frowned. She saw Crane grip his chopsticks. She pulled herself away from the snake, moving closer to Crane. "I belong to my husband, Crane and I only train with him."

"What!" The red snake glared at Crane and Viper.

"You heard her, Howin!" Jia said. "So, you can leave now."

The red snake's eyes landed on the little blue snake. He wrapped his tail around Jia's neck, lifting her out of her chair, while she struggled for air. Crane was the first out of his seat.

"Let her go!" Crane growled. "If you have any honor, fight someone who can fight back, not a little girl!"

The red snake, named Howin, dropped Jia, letting her rush over to Great Master Viper. "You think you can fight me?"

Crane got into his fighting stance. "Yes."

"Stop!" Viper cried. "Crane, you don't have to fight him!"

Howin lunged at Crane's chest. Crane dodged him easily and blocked the rest of the red snake's attacks, until Howin tripped him by wrapping himself around Crane's legs. Crane fell back and the red snake slithered up his chest, opening his mouth ready to sink his fangs into Crane's neck.

"No!" Viper stood up, ready to help Crane, but Crane shook his head...

Crane noticed Howin's tail at his side. Crane been in this situation before with Viper. Viper would hide her tail so no one would grab it. Before Howin could bite, Crane grabbed Howin's tail and pulled him away from his body. Standing up, he slammed Howin's head into the wall, before tossing him into the air, and using his wings to make a gust of wind, sending Howin out the room and out of the restaurant.

The stunned snake stood up. "I'll get you, Crane! You'll see! I'll get you for taking my girl!"

Crane started walking out of the room, ready for another fight with the red snake, but he felt something wrap around his wing. His eyes met Viper's and she leaned in, kissing the tip of his beak. She pulled away blushing, confusion in her eyes, a long with worry, and something else.

"Let's go back to our food, Crane. We don't want it to get cold."

Viper went to her seat, and Crane went to his. He chugged down his wine before asking the waitress for another glass.

"Master Crane, I want to thank you for saving Jia. You're a brave young man."

"Thank you, sir. And it was nothing."

"Thank you, Master Crane," Jia said smiling and kissing his cheek.

Crane smiled and pat her head with his wing. He went back to eating. The rest of Viper's family did the same. It was quiet, and it seemed as though they were trying to forget about Howin. Crane wasn't at ease. He knew Howin wanted Viper, and he had a feeling Howin would try to get her and make her his. That thought made Crane uneasy and almost sick...

"So, Viper, Master Crane, how was your wedding?" Viper's mother was the first to break the silence.

"Yes!" Great Master Viper said happily. "Tell us about your wedding! When was it? And why didn't you invite us?"

"It was a small, quick ceremony," Viper said, "With just our friends. We didn't have time to have a big wedding."

"Didn't have time?" Said Viper's mother. "Why is that?"

"He had to defeat Lord Shen," Crane said. "We just had a quick ceremony, then we had to go."

"Lord Shen, you say..." The Great Master said. "Tell us about the mission."

"Well," said Crane, "It all started when..." He told them everything, from the very beginning, starting with how Po became the Dragon Warrior and continuing from there...

The mini-Vipers crowded around him and Viper, listening to the story, while eating cake, and laughing at how they were disguised as a dragon while walking through a crowded village. They cried when they thought Po was dead, and giggled when Po hugged Tigress at the end. The mini-Viper started bouncing, wanting to hear another story, but Viper told to wait till later.

Great Master Viper smiled, impressed with their adventures. "Well, I know what I must do..."

"What's that?" Viper asked while Crane drank his wine.

"Since you and Master Crane couldn't have a big wedding, we'll have a big wedding ceremony here, with everything."

Crane choked on his wine. Viper was speechless. When they found their voices, they could only say one word...

"WHAT?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey :) Happy Holidays once again I hope everyone is doing well, anyway this is the fourth chapter to this story. Sorry it took so long. This was kind of a hard chapter to write, and this is the longest one so far. Sorry if there are any mistakes, its really late right now, and I just wanted to post this.<strong>

**Not much to say about this chapter except for Read and Review and Thanks for reading :)**

**I guess I'll get to the warnings... This story is a Romance/Drama and yeah theres humor but when you get down to it, its honestly sad later on... Theres going to be excessive alcohol use, and (I'm just going to come out and say it) implied rape... So yeah, these are just warning for later... But if you stick with this story, I promise, it will get better. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

I Now Pronounce You Crane and Viper 5

"A wedding?" Crane said incredulously.

"Daddy, we don't have to have a wedding," Viper said trying not to panic. "Crane and I are already married." He has to be joking.

"I know that," Great Master Viper said with a laugh. "Just think of it as... Renewing your vows. Both of you still remember them, right?"

"Yeah," Crane said unsurely. What are vows exactly?

"Then it's settled! The wedding will be in two weeks, not counting this week."

"Daddy, that's going to be a total of three weeks!" Viper cried. "We need to get back to the Valley of Peace!" He's... Not joking...

"Master Shifu might have missions for us," Crane added. "And three weeks? That's kind of short to plan a wedding."

The Great Master laughed. "Don't worry, Master Crane. We'll have everything ready. Clothes, food, guests, flowers, a beautiful ceremony, music, cake..."

"Can we have a chocolate cake?" Viper asked.

"Viper!" Crane hissed.

"What? I miss Po and I think he would say something a long those lines in this situation."

"Of course you can have a chocolate cake, Viper," Great Master Viper said. "Any requests, Master Crane?"

"Candy oranges on the top, please."

"Of course, Master Crane! Leave everything to us. Just enjoy your time here, we'll take care of everything." He smiled as the owner came over and whispered something to him. "It's time to go now. I guess I lost track of time."

At this Crane and Viper quickly walked out of the restaurant. Crane looked back and could see Great Master Viper, his wife, and the mini-Vipers behind them.

"Viper," Crane said in a low voice, "We need to talk."

"Yes, we do," Viper said without hesitation. She knew what this was about, and they needed to think of a plan and fast.

"Viper, this isn't part of the plan. We're not suppose to be getting married. Master Shifu and our friends will be pissed when they find out!" Monkey especially.

"Crane, you don't think I don't know that? I know we need a plan, but what can we do?"

A thought came to Crane. "We can leave," he whispered softly.

Viper's eyes widen. "Leave? As in, leave right now?"

"I was thinking, when everyone is asleep, I fly us back to the Jade Palace, we listen to the story Tigress, Po, Mantis, and Monkey came up with, we go with it when Master Shifu asks us, Master Shifu doesn't find out what really happened, then we act as though this never happened, and it was all bad dream."

"It won't work," Viper said with a sigh.

"What do you mean? It's a perfect plan!"

"If we did do that, daddy will just bring the wedding to the Valley of Peace. Master Shifu and our friends will find out, then we'll have to tell them how we suddenly fell in love and are randomly getting married."

"What can we do?" Crane asked hopelessly.

"We can leave like you said, but let's leave on the day of the wedding, say a few hours before it starts."

"Yeah, but wouldn't your father just bring the wedding to the Valley of Peace, like you said?"

"Not if we're suddenly called away on a three year undercover mission." Viper grinned.

"What are you getting at, Viper?"

"Think about it, if we're called to go on an important, three year undercover mission, daddy would have to let us go as soon as possible."

"Your point is..."

Viper rolled her eyes. "You write a letter, telling daddy we have a three year, undercover mission on a descendant of Lord Shen, we tell him the letter is from Master Shifu, daddy will let us go, then we go back to the Jade Palace and pretend this never happened."

"I could just write the letter now, and tell him it's from Master Shifu, then we can leave," Crane said hopefully.

"He'll suspect something..."

"What will he suspect?"

"He's knows we don't really want this and will think, we're trying to get out of it."

"And us leaving a few hours before the wedding, won't make him suspect anything?"

Viper smiled. "No. We're going to be here for three weeks. We just have to..." She stopped and blushed.

"What?" Crane asked.

Viper moved in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. She leaned in and kissed him. Crane's eyes widen. Before he could respond to her kiss, she pulled away.

"What?" Crane asked stunned.

"We just have to show daddy, that... I love you and you love me."

"He already thinks we're very much in love." Crane was still dazed from the kiss.

"Which is a good thing... All we have to do now is go with it, the wedding, that is. When daddy sees that we're truly in love, and happy and excited about the wedding, he won't suspect anything when we have to leave on the mission. He'll see it as... 'something that can't prevented.'"

"It's seems very complicated, Viper?" Crane said. "I really don't think this plan will work."

"We have to try, Crane. If we don't try this, we'll end up getting married either way. This could work, Crane, trust me. Please, Crane, we have to try."

"There's one more thing that's on my mind," Crane said.

"What is it?"

"What if..." He sighed. "What if we do end up married?"

Viper laughed until she saw the worry in his eyes. "If everything works out, it won't happen."

"But what if it doesn't workout, Viper? What if we're standing at the alter together about to seal our lives with a kiss? Your father sees this as renewing our vows. For us, this is real, Viper. This is a real wedding! You're going to be my wife, and I'm going to be your husband. Do you have any idea what our friends and Master Shifu will say or do? We'll lose everything, Viper. Our positions as Masters, our lives at the Jade Palace..."

WHACK!

Crane placed his wing on his cheek where Viper had slapped him with her tail. He looked at her, stunned. It hurt, he thought in disbelief. Viper would never hurt him, but it hurt. He could see tears in her eyes through the darkness. He heard Viper's family stop in their tracks. They probably figured, him and Viper were having a small fight, which was normal for all young couples.

"Viper." He reached out to touch her, but she took off. Through the night, he could hear her crying softly. He put his outstretched wing by his side and sighed. What have I done?

As if reading his thoughts, Great Master Viper appeared by his side. "It's normal for couples to fight... Viper is probably really tired and she just wants to rest... Give her time, she'll come around..."

Crane started walking back with Viper's family. Great Master Viper went back to talking to his wife, and the mini-Vipers were asleep on Crane's back. Crane was quiet though. This whole situation was frustrating. As soon as he got back to Great Master Viper's house, he was going to the mountain top and train until dawn. That's all I need, he thought. Training. Just a few hours of training...

"You don't have money! I-I can't serve you, Howin!"

Crane knew that voice. At first he thought it was Mr. Ping, but he remembered the restaurant owner who showed him the way to Great Master Viper's house. Mr. Cheng! Crane rushed into the restaurant, followed by Great Master Viper. Inside, he saw Howin holding the scared goose by the neck, with his tail. Crane got into his fighting stance. Normally, He would try to avoid fighting, but now, he was aching for a fight, aching to release all his stress, anger, and frustration.

"Howin, let him go!" Great Master Viper said angrily to the red snake.

"What are you going to do about it, old man?" Howin sneered.

"I'll make you regret hurting him," Crane growled.

Howin dropped the goose and slithered out of the restaurant, but not before threatening Crane. "Watch your back, Crane. Viper will be mine and you'll be out of the picture."

Crane narrowed his eyes at Howin as he slithered away. He opened his wings, ready to fly after him so he could fight him, but Great Master Viper stopped him, placing his tail in front of Crane.

"No, Master Crane. Let him go. Nows not the time to fight him... Especially when you have my three daughters asleep on your back..."

Crane looked at his back, seeing the mini-Vipers still sound asleep. He turned back to Great Master Viper and bowed.

"Sorry, sir."

The Great Master smiled and turned to the restaurant owner. "Howin won't be coming back, Mr. Cheng. You don't have to worry."

Mr. Cheng hugged Great Master Viper and Crane's legs. Crane put his wing against the wall to keep himself from falling. "Thank you so much!" Mr. Cheng said happily. "Why don't you two stay for awhile? I'll make some noodles!" He released them, and Crane regained his balance.

Great Master Viper yawned. "Not tonight, Mr. Cheng, I'm really tired... Unless, Master Crane would like to stay for a bit..."

"Oh... I'm kinda..." He looked at the mini-Vipers.

The Great Master smiled and gathered the little snakes off Crane's back. "Its all right, Master Crane... Viper needs her space, and so do you. Stay and relax for awhile at Mr. Cheng's restaurant. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can come home whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, sir... Can you let Viper know where I am? Just incase she's wondering?"

"Yes. Goodnight, Master Crane."

"Goodnight, sir," Crane said as the Great Master left with his wife and the mini-Vipers.

"Come with me, Master Crane," Mr. Cheng lead him to the shaded bar. "What can I get you?" He asked when Crane sat down.

"I don't know," Crane said taking off his hat and placing in the seat next to him.

"Noodles?"

"I already had dinner."

"Rice cakes, perhaps?"

"No."

"Well, what would you like? I can make anything."

A thought came to Crane. He looked at Mr. Chen. "Do you have wine?"

"Yes! Of course!" Mr. Cheng walked over to a cabinet, in the corner of the kitchen, and opened it, revealing many bottles of red wine. He grabbed a bottle and a glass and walked back to Crane. "Here you go," Mr. Cheng said, filling the glass and giving it to Crane.

"Thank you." Crane brought the glass to his beak and drank all the wine in the glass.

"Would you like some more wine?"

"That would be nice."

Mr. Cheng filled his glass. Crane sighed, picking up the glass, and drinking down all the wine. He nodded to Mr. Cheng, letting him know to fill it.

"So, where are you from, Master Crane?" He asked while Crane downed another glass of wine. He filled the glass and looked at him for an answer.

"I'm from the Valley Peace. I live at the Jade Palace," Crane said playing with the glass, watching the wine as it swirled around in his glass. He wiped his eyes when his vision started to become blurry.

"The Jade Palace? Are... Are you part of the Furious Five?"

"Yeah... I'm the master of crane style."

"How is the Dragon Warrior?" Mr. Cheng asked excitedly. "Do you know him? Whats he like?"

Crane smiled, thinking of Po, his friend, the Dragon Warrior. "He's great... He's a good friend and... A great guy overall. I can trust him with my life." Even though he says, "blame Crane when something doesn't go right." Crane smiled while finishing another glass of wine, and letting Mr. Cheng fill his glass.

"Are you training with Great Master Viper?"

"Not really," Crane said sadly. "I'm here because..." He stopped and sighed frustratedly.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm getting married," Crane said drinking more of his wine. Kinda getting married, he thought.

"That's great! Who's the lucky girl?"

Crane poured himself more wine. "Viper... Great Master Viper's daughter... She and I are friends at the Jade Palace."

"Ohhh, but now you're both lovers! Congratulations, Master Crane!"

"Thanks," Crane said drinking down another glass of wine. Why is everything so blurry?

"You don't sound too happy."

"I'm just really nervous." Really nervous Viper's plan doesn't workout, really nervous we might end up married for real.

"Don't be nervous," Mr. Cheng said as he started cleaning up the kitchen. "As long as you're both in love, there is nothing to be nervous about."

Love? "Marriage is scary," Crane said picking up the bottle and pouring the last of the wine in his glass.

"It is," Mr. Cheng agreed. "Marriage is scary, but it's rewarding and a wonderful thing. Love is a wonderful thing. Falling in love, being in love, it's a great feeling!"

"How long have you been married, Mr. Cheng?"

"Oh! I was never married..." Crane choked on his wine. Mr. Cheng smiled and faced him. "But... I been in love before... Nothing is scary as long as you're with the one you love... Do you love Viper?"

Love. Crane pulled himself out of his seat and grabbed his hat, almost falling in the process. "Look, it's... It's getting late. I-I should be going, getting back to Viper... How much do I owe you?"

"Oh! You can eat and drink here anytime you want for free! Yes, and you should get back to Viper. Goodnight, Master Crane."

Crane waved and started stumbling out of Mr. Cheng's restaurant. Whats wrong with me? Crane wondered. His vision was very blurry, and all he could see was red. His legs were shaky and he had a hard time walking.

"Master Crane!" Crane stopped and leaned against the wall of the restaurant to keep from falling. He looked in the direction of Mr. Cheng. "You deserve Viper more than Howin," Mr. Cheng said. "Take care of her."

Crane nodded. "Goodnight, Mr. Cheng."

"Comeback soon!"

I will, Crane thought, stumbling out of the restaurant and to the red doors, leading out of the village, and to Great Master Viper's house.

When he stood at the steps, Crane could barely make out the Great Master's house. He carefully started going up the steps, struggling to keep his balance, but falling a few times. This must be how Po feels when he has to go up the stairs to the Jade Palace. Finally at the door of Great Master Viper's house, Crane breathed a sigh of relief. He opened the door and walked in. Through red eyes, Crane slammed from wall-to-wall trying to find Viper's room. At the end of the hallway, he crashed, hard into the wall, making him fall back. Ow! He stood up and felt around for Viper's door. Once he found it, he carefully slid it open and walked inside. Crane instantly stopped...

Laying on the bed, was Viper. Somehow, Crane could see her so clearly even though his vision was blurred. He walked over to the bed and took off his hat before laying down, on his side, facing Viper's sleeping form. He lifted his wing, wanting so desperately to touch her, to feel her, but he stopped... No, Crane realized. I can't do this. Viper is my friend. This would be wrong in so many ways, on so many levels. Crane closed his eyes and faced away from Viper, trying to clear his head...

As the night continued, Crane felt a burning, throbbing sensation in his stomach, that was keeping him up. He didn't know what it was but it felt painfully good. The urge to touch Viper came back. Facing her, he touched her gently with his wing, running it up and down her stomach. Viper is beautiful. How could he not see that before, after all these years they spent training together? She was stunning, she was perfect, and he...

"Crane?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Happy New Year :) I hope everyone is doing well... This chapter is okay, it sounded better in my head. I tried explaining Viper's plan as best as I could, I don't know how else to explain it... Po and the rest of the Furious Five will be coming back after all, they're covering for Crane and Viper, and Po needs to know why Crane and Viper can't have babies together :P...<strong>

**Oh! And someone asked what kind of snake Howin is? He's a cobra (which sucks because I like cobras lol). A cobra with a bad sunburn (lol jk)**

**Read and Review and Thanks for Reading :) **


	6. Chapter 6

I Now Pronounce You Crane and Viper 6

"Crane?"

Crane froze, his wing still on Viper's stomach, unable to pull away. His eyes were wide. Viper was awake...

"Crane, what are you doing?" Viper asked tiredly. She woke up when she felt something soft on her stomach. Viper gave him a questioning look when she noticed Crane's wing resting on her stomach.

"I was... I was..." Crane sighed, pulling his wing off her stomach. "I'm sorry it's been a really long day and night. I'm just... Tired and frustrated with everything that's going on right now... Everything that might happen... I'm sorry, Viper..." He rolled onto his side facing away from her.

Viper pressed herself against his back and wrapped herself around him. For some reason he felt different. Withdrawn seemed to be the right word, but so were desperate and lustful. "That's not how Master Shifu taught us to deal with frustration... We're not suppose to let our desires overtake our frustration, we're suppose to..."

"Meditate and train," Crane finished harshly before her. "I know... I heard it all before..."

Viper froze at the harshness in his voice. "Just relax, Crane. You'll feel better in the morning... You're not you right now..."

"What are you talking about, Viper? I'm fine. I'm the same as always."

"No... You're not." She tightened her hold on him. "You're never like this..." When he didn't answer, she continued, "It's really late, Crane. Daddy said, you were at a noodle shop... I waited for you to comeback... When you didn't comeback, I was so worried something might've happened to you..."

She... She was worried? Crane thought, his anger and frustration draining away. He didn't want to worry her.

"I waited till I fell asleep... I was so relieved when you came back..."

Crane sighed, starting to regret being mean to her, and regretted touching her. She missed him... "I'm sorry for how I acted." Crane said calmly. "Let's just forget this, okay? Lets just sleep. We'll talk in the morning... Goodnight, Viper."

Viper smiled and kissed his cheek before falling asleep with him, her head resting in his feathers. "Goodnight, Crane..."

* * *

><p><em>Jade Palace<em>

"Tigress, you look horrible!" Monkey said when he saw her leaning against the wall in the training hall.

Tigress frowned and let out a low growl in response. She pulled herself off the wall and started walking towards... Three Monkeys? Before Tigress could take another step, her legs went weak and she fell forward. To her relief, Monkey caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Just sit, for now," Monkey said, helping Tigress sit down. "I never seen you this tired before. What happened last night?"

Tigress yawned tiredly. "I had to explain to Po why Crane and Viper can't have babies together..."

Monkey laughed while taking out his bo-staff. He spun it a few times before tossing it into the air. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"From the very beginning."

Monkey's eyes widen and the wooden staff landed on his head. "Seriously?" He asked, rubbing his head.

"Apparently, Mr. Ping never gave Po the 'talk.'"

"You're saying, Mr. Ping never mentioned sex to Po?" Monkey instantly burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! You had to explain sex to Po? What did you do? Tell him how pandas mate?"

"Shut up! I just told him what sex is! I don't know how panda mating rituals work." She shivered. "And I don't think I would want to know."

Monkey stopped laughing and wiped away some tears. "But how did he think babies were born?"

"He thought the stork puts babies into women," Tigress said shaking her head. Very stupid panda.

"Stork? Does he think Crane goes around impregnating women?"

Tigress looked at him. Her eyes widen and she started laughing at the thought of Crane flying around and impregnating women. Tigress realized, Po's story about Viper and Crane, was more funny than stupid.

"Well, did he understand why Viper and Crane can't have babies together?" Monkey asked when Tigress's laughter went away.

"Yeah... At dawn."

"Maybe Shifu will give us the day off. That way you could get some sleep, after all there's only three of us here."

"If he does give us the day off, we need to visit Po."

"What for?"

Tigress looked around before whispering, "Crane and Viper... I thought about them all last night too."

Monkey scoffed. "If Po told me a stork flys around impregnating women, I'd be thinking about El Storko and Viper too."

"Focus, Monkey! This is different! Look, I have a..." Tigress stopped and looked at the doors. She let out a sigh of relief when saw it was just Mantis.

As Mantis got closer, he jumped behind Monkey. "Oh my gosh! It's Tai-Lung!"

Tigress let out a low growl.

"Oh, it's just you, Tigress," Mantis said, laughing slightly and moving a little closer to her. "You look horrible. What happened last night?"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "I had to explain sex to Po and tell him why Crane and Viper can't have babies together."

"You explained sex to Po? Hmm... Seems like you showed him, rather than explained it."

Tigress narrowed her eyes and growled, before kicking Mantis into the field of fire, where Viper normally trained. Monkey watched nervously as Mantis tried to avoid the flames. He turned back to Tigress, remembering what she needed to say about Crane and Viper.

"So, what were you saying about Crane and Viper?"

"Monkeeeey! Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkeeeey!"

"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen to Viper," Tigress said over Mantis's cries.

"Ow! I burned my butt!"

"I didn't get that, Tigress!" Monkey said a little louder.

"I said, I..."

"Tigress, why are you yelling in the training hall?"

"Master Shifu," Tigress and Monkey said bowing as he walked in.

"Yes, Good morning... Where's, Po?"

"He's helping Mr. Ping at the noodle shop," Monkey said.

"Right... And Crane went with Viper to see her sister, and..." He looked at Tigress and Monkey. "Where's, Mantis?"

"Here, Master Shifu," said a burnt Mantis. He dragged himself to Monkey and leaned against his leg.

"What have you been doing, Mantis?"

Mantis looked at Tigress, before turning back to Shifu. "I decided to train in the field of fire... It didn't turn out well..."

Shifu hid a grin. "I can see that, Mantis. If you want to train in the field of fire, I could let Viper train you since that's her specialty."

"Thanks, Master Shifu," Mantis said sending a glare at Tigress, who smirked in response.

"Seeing as there's only three of you here at the palace, I'm canceling training today, so you're free to do whatever you want... Perhaps sleep, Tigress... You look horrible..."

Tigress frowned. "Yes, Master Shifu."

"Good. I'll see all of you tomorrow. Be ready to train."

"Yes, Master Shifu," they said as he walked away.

"All right," Tigress said. "We need to see Po."

"What for?" Mantis asked.

Tigress sighed. "I have a feeling something..."

"Tigress." She was instantly silenced when Shifu came back into the training hall. "Tigress, do you know how long Master Crane and Master Viper will be away?"

Tigress looked at Mantis and Monkey, who shared the same nervous expressions. "I-I can find out, sir." I hope it's soon, though.

Shifu just nodded and walked away.

"Let's go," Tigress said quietly, already walking to the door.

Monkey gave her a confused look. "But what were you saying about Viper and Crane?"

"I'll tell you when we get to the noodle shop! Po needs to hear this too..."

Mantis and Monkey shared a look. It was never good when Tigress had something on her mind, that she wasn't ready to share right away. Reluctantly, they followed her...

When the three arrived to Mr. Ping's shop, it was full and more crowded then usual. They looked around, trying to spot the large panda.

"There's Po!" Monkey pointed to the window in the kitchen.

"Good! Now let's hear his side about what happened last night between him and Tigress!" Mantis said excitedly.

Tigress growled and kicked him into the crowd of people. "Sorry! Muscle spasm!"

"Shouldn't we look for him?" Monkey asked.

"He'll turn up eventually. Let's talk to Po."

Monkey grinned and shook his head before following Tigress through the crowd. When they walked into the kitchen, Mr. Ping hit Tigress with a pan. Tigress fell back rubbed her head. Ow...

"Tai-Lung! Get out! Out! Out! Out! My son destroyed you!"

"Dad, stop!" Po yelled desperately. "It's just Tigress!"

"Oh... I'm sorry, Master Tigress," Mr. Ping said. "You should get more sleep. You look like Tai-Lung."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tigress said as Monkey helped her stand up.

"What are you two doing here?" Po asked. "And where's Mantis?"

"Right here," an exhausted Mantis said, dragging himself into the kitchen and onto Monkey's shoulder.

"Okay... But what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Tigress said.

Po groaned. "I get it already! I know why Crane and Viper can't have babies, and I know that the stork doesn't put babies in women..."

"Stork?" Mantis said to Monkey. "Does he mean Crane?"

"I get it, Tigress," Po continued. "Babies are made by..."

"Po! That's not what we came here to talk about!"

Po let out a sigh of relief. "Then what is this about?"

"It's about Crane and Viper," Monkey said seriously.

"Wait for me in my room," Po said. "I'll be up in a few minutes... Tigress, you could sleep on my bed... You look like Tai-Lung."

It's refreshing to know I look so much like Tai-Lung when I don't get any sleep, Tigress thought following Monkey and Mantis to Po's room.

"Hey! Look!" Monkey said, laughing as he picked up the Monkey action figure. "I can't believe he still has these!"

Tigress smiled and laid down on Po's bed.

"Hey, Tigress! Po has one of you!" Mantis held up the Tigress action figure.

He has one for all of us, Tigress thought tiredly. I like the Crane action figure. That one makes crane noises.

"I wonder if Po ever undressed the Tigress action figure?" Mantis said. "Her clothes can come off."

Tigress growled. "If you undress that thing I'm going to throw you into the 'Noodle Surprise.'"

Mantis shivered and set down the Tigress action figure just as Po came in.

"So, what's going on with Crane and Viper?" Po asked sitting at the foot of his bed. "Did they write?"

"Not yet," said Tigress. "I might write and ask them when they're coming back."

"Master Shifu is wondering when Crane and Viper will be coming back," Monkey added.

"Anything else?"

Tigress sighed. "I been thinking about Crane and Viper and this mission... I have a feeling something bad is going to happen to Viper..."

"She's a big girl," Mantis said. "Viper can take care of herself."

"And Crane is with her," Po added. "He'll take care of her and make sure things are okay."

Crane... Tigress thought. Something is going to happen to Crane. Next to Viper, Tigress was close to Crane. They shared a special bond together, and she thought of him as her second-in-command. She was worried about Crane, but she decided against telling her friends. If something was wrong, Crane would tell her.

"You're probably just over thinking this," Monkey said, interrupting her thoughts. "This is new to us. We never did this before, so of course we're going to be worried. Master Shifu, not knowing about Viper's plan, is just adding to the worry that something might happen."

"We just need to act as though this is a normal, average mission," Mantis said. "If we all start worrying, Master Shifu will suspect something."

Tigress yawned. "And Crane and Viper?"

"They know what they're doing," Po added reassuringly.

Tigress closed her eyes deciding to just fall asleep without giving them an answer. Po, Monkey, and Mantis were her friends, her family, but she couldn't bring herself to believe them. Even if she was to lie and tell them okay, they wouldn't believe her anyway. They could see right through her and see that she was still hesitant and uneasy...

* * *

><p>Crane instantly sat up and grabbed his throbbing head. My head is killing me! What did I do last night? Did I get into a fight? He heard giggling from across the room. When he looked up he saw Viper and noticed her holding something in her tail.<p>

"Good morning, Crane!" Viper said happily.

"Viper, do you have to talk so loudly? My head is killing me."

Viper smiled and went over to him. "Sorry. Here. Drink this." She gave him the glass, which had a green liquid. "Daddy says it'll make you feel better."

Crane drank it down. It had a bitter taste but it wasn't so bad. "Thanks, Viper... Do you know what happened last night? I can't remember anything. Was I in a fight?"

He can't remember? Viper thought. "You got into a fight with Howin."

"Now its coming back to me. I remember fighting Howin at the restaurant. I remember... The wedding... And your complicated plan, then I went to Mr. Cheng's Noodle Shop and... That's it... I can't remember anything else. I don't even remember getting home..." He met Viper's eyes. "Did I do anything else, Viper? Did I do anything when I came home?"

Viper hid a blush and touched her stomach with her tail remembering his wing running up and down her stomach. She jumped when she felt his light touch on her again. Viper relaxed when she saw his eyes. There was no lust and frustration, only worry and confusion.

"Did I... Did I hurt you? Did I do anything bad to you, Viper?"

He really doesn't remember, Viper thought sadly. She smiled reassuringly. "No, Crane, you didn't do anything to me." She touched his wing with her tail. "You didn't hurt me, I promise... You need more rest, though."

"What are you going to do if I sleep?"

"I'm going shopping with my sisters. Tonight, when I get back, we'll have dinner, just you and I, then we'll walk on the beach. How does that sound?"

"Sounds lovely," Crane said laying back down.

"Good." She kissed his cheek before walking out of their room. "I'll see you tonight, Crane. If you need company, daddy is here."

"Have fun with your sisters, Viper." Crane closed his eyes letting out a sigh of relief. Viper was a good friend. He would never do anything to hurt her...

* * *

><p>"Viper! Did you say goodbye to Master Crane?" Jia asked when they were standing outside.<p>

Viper smiled. "Yes."

"He doesn't want to go with us?" Xiang asked.

"Crane had a long night, Xiang. He's really tired. Besides, we'll be going out tonight. So he needs to rest."

The three little snakes giggled quietly, while going down the steps, wondering what their older sister had planned for the master of crane style. When they came to the village the little snakes took off into the shops.

Viper sighed. A special night with Crane. Dinner and a walk on the beach. It sounded special, but for some reason, she wanted more. Why did she want more?

"Oh my gosh! Viper! Is that you?"

Upon hearing that voice, Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling stepped outside and shared a nervous look when they saw who was talking to their sister. It was the last person the three girls wanted to see. The only thought going through their heads were,

Oh my gosh... What's she doing back?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey, sorry for the long wait, this chapter was pretty hard, and it kinda focused on Po, Tigress, Mantis, and Monkey. The next chapter, Viper's sisters play a bigger role, and its mostly going to be Crane and Viper. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update sooner :) Remember to look for me on Deviantart.<strong>

**Read and Review and Thanks for Reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7 THE REAL CHAPTER

I Now Pronounce You Crane and Viper 7

"Lynnah!" Viper cried happily hugging the yellow, green snake. "I can't believe its you! Wow you look awesome!"

Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling rolled their eyes. Viper smiled over at them, the three girls faked a smile back and held it.

"I can't believe she's back," Jia said through her tight smile.

"I thought daddy ran her out of the village," Mei-Ling added.

"Apparently, daddy didn't do a good job seeing as Lynnah came back."

"And Howin still here," Xiang added bitterly.

"That was daddy's fault, though," Jia said. "He let Howin comeback because Howin wanted to marry Viper, and he's here to stay even though Viper is married to Master Crane."

"Master Crane is cute," Mei-Ling said.

"He is," Jia agreed.

"Can we stop smiling?" Xiang asked. "My face hurts."

"Yeah."

"This is bad, girls," Jia said when she released her smile.

"Why?" Xiang asked.

"If Lynnah is here then that means..."

"Oh my gosh, Viper!" Two voices cried happily.

"Mayleen! Yenni! Oh my gosh! I'm so happy to see you! I missed you girls so much!"

Jia, Xiang, Mei-Ling frowned watching their older sister hug the other two snakes. The three little snakes glared at Viper when she smiled at them. Viper looked away, trying to avoid their disapproving expressions even though she knew what they were thinking.

Jia shook her head. "How is she not bursting into tears right now? Those girls were so cruel to her!"

"Maybe she's in denial," Mei-Ling suggested. "You know how Viper is. Whenever something bad happens to her, she denies feeling hurt."

"I hate all of them!" Xiang said angrily. "They made Viper cry all the time!"

"Xiang! Keep your voice down! You know how Viper gets when it comes to her friends!"

"They're not her friends, Jia... They can't be... They can't possibly be her friends... Not after what they did to her..."

"Let's hope so..."

The three younger snakes watched as Viper talked to Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni. From what Jia remembered, Lynnah was the meanest out of all the three, and Mayleen and Yenni used to be Viper's best friends, until Lynnah came and screwed everything up...

When Viper was younger, everyone in the village said, Viper was the prettiest girl in the whole village and was pushed to enter the annual village beauty pageant. She came first in everything, beating out Lynnah, who jealously asked the judges, why she didn't get first place. They told her, Viper had one thing Lynnah didn't have... Inner beauty...

Jia, Xiang, and Mei-Ling remembered, from that day on, Lynnah spent her time getting back at Viper. She stole Mayleen and Yenni by coming up with a lie, saying, Viper called them ugly and that they were horrible friends. Together, the three snakes pretended to be Viper's friends and started tormenting her with insults, remarks, and any other demeaning things they could think up...

Jia remembered, before a dance, Mayleen did Viper's makeup and made her look like a clown. Since they were in a hurry, Viper didn't have a chance to look in a mirror so when she showed up, everyone at the dance laughed at her. Viper instantly went home crying. Jia and Mei-Ling helped Viper remove the makeup, and told Viper she made a beautiful clown. Instead of going back to the dance, they stayed home and cooked. Jia told Viper not to hangout with Mayleen because of what she did, but Viper brushed it off as a prank...

Xiang and Mei-Ling both remembered at the annual village talent show, Yenni tripped Viper while she did her ribbon dance causing her to fall off the stage and break her tail. Viper was okay with the broken tail, because it healed, but she didn't understand why Yenni would try to hurt her, so she said it was an accident. Xiang and Mei-Ling were banging their heads against the walls after that...

Then came Lynnah... She challenged Viper to a fight when she found out Viper was going to continue the rest of her Kung Fu training at the Jade Palace. Lynnah, being the coward that she was, fought with no honor and cheated in the fight. When Great Master Viper found out, he kicked Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni out of the village and told them to never comeback...

"Let's go see what they're talking about," Jia said leading them to their sister.

"Viper, we should hangout tonight," Lynnah said smiling hopefully. "It's been awhile."

"Viper," Xiang said nervously.

Viper narrowed her eyes defensively. "Why should I? All of you were so cruel to me growing up. It's nice seeing you girls, but why should I hangout with you three?"

Jia let out a sigh of relief, happy Viper wasn't in denial about what happened to her when she was younger, and happy that she realized Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni weren't her friends.

"We're really sorry, Viper," Mayleen said. "Please forgive us."

"Don't, Viper," Mei-Ling whispered to Viper.

Lynnah pulled Viper into a hug. "Viper, we're sorry... What we did to you when we were younger was wrong and very mean. We all grew up since then. Please forgive us, we're very sorry!"

"Viper, no," Jia whispered. "They're still the same! They didn't change!"

"Jia, you don't know that," Viper whispered back. "It's the past, we all grew up since then." She turned to Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni. "I don't think I can forgive you for what you did to me when I was younger, but I will accept going to dinner with you girls..."

"Viper, no!" Jia said, this time loudly.

Viper ignored her. "It can be like starting over... Almost..."

"You can't go!" Mei-Ling said before Lynnah could say anything.

"Why not?"

"You're going out with Master Crane tonight!" Jia said aloud making Viper's eyes widen in fear. Confused, she mouthed, what?

"Master Crane?" Yenni said questioningly. "Who's Master Crane?"

"Viper's husband," Xiang said.

"Viper, you're married?" Lynnah said after a moments stunned silence.

"Yes..." Viper admitted. "Yes, I'm married..."

"That's great!" Mayleen said happily. "You have to have dinner with us, tonight! We want to know everything about him!"

Viper smiled. "Okay, I'll see you tonight."

"What about Master Crane?" Jia asked.

"I'll go out with him tomorrow night. Crane is very understanding, he won't mind."

Jia resisted the urge to tell her, she was taking advantage of Master Crane's understanding and niceness.

"We'll see you tonight Viper!" Lynnah said turning to leave with Mayleen and Yenni.

"Bye!" Viper turned back to her sisters. "All right, let's go home."

"Why?" Mei-Ling asked. "We just got here. Why do we have to leave so soon?"

"I have to get ready for tonight. I'm going out with my friends!"

Jia frowned. She would rather spend time with girls she hadn't seen for years, then a guy who was, at one point, her best friend and is now her lover and husband. In Jia's mind, it didn't seem fair to Master Crane.

"If you really love Master Crane, you wouldn't do that to him," Jia said stiffly, earning shocked looks from Xiang and Mei-Ling. It was true, though and Jia felt like she needed to say it.

Love, Viper thought. She shook the thought out of her head and glared at Jia. "Why did you bring him up?"

"What?"

"Why did you bring up Crane to Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni?"

"Why wouldn't you want me to? He's your husband! You're having another wedding! Wouldn't you want your friends to know?" When Viper didn't answer, she said, "You don't trust them..."

"What are you talking about, Jia?" Viper laughed nervously.

"You don't trust them. You think Lynnah will say something to Master Crane."

"Thats crazy," Viper said moving a head of her sisters.

"It's not and you know it!" Jia yelled angrily.

"Enough!" Viper said turning angrily to them. "I will hear none of this anymore!" Her sisters stopped in their tracks and stayed silent. Viper looked away and started going back home.

"What now?" Xiang asked Jia, hoping for a good answer.

Jia sighed sadly. "Nothing... We do nothing..." Something, Jia thought in her head. I'll try something... Something before nothing...

"What can I say to keep you from going?" Jia asked while Viper applied makeup alone in her room.

When they came home, Master Crane was gone. Daddy said, he went to the mountain top to train before going out with Viper. Jia thought about telling their daddy, Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni were back, but she decided against it because he was busy with mamma, planning the wedding, and if she brought it up, daddy would be under more stress. She didn't want that...

Viper sighed bringing Jia out of her thoughts. "Nothing."

"Master Crane will be sad."

"Crane is strong, Jia. He's a Kung Fu Master. He won't mind and besides it's just for one night, I promise. I'll go out with Crane tomorrow night."

"You think because he's a Kung Fu Master he's denied emotions?"

"I didn't say that, Jia!"

"It sure sounded like it."

"I said, I'll go out with him tomorrow night!"

"Don't tell me, tell Master Crane!"

"He's not here, Jia..."

"Then wait! Wait for him to comeback so you can tell him!"

"Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni will be here any minute now..."

"How can you hangout with those girls when you don't trust them and they been so cruel to you, Viper?"

"They changed."

"Viper, girls like that don't change and they won't change!"

"How would you know, Jia?" Viper asked angrily. "You never been through any of this!"

"How do you know what I been going through?" Jia asked brokenly."You haven't been home, Viper!"

"Jia," Viper said going over to her, wanting to hug her.

"No!" Jia cried now in tears. "You don't know what any of us are going through. You spent most of your life at the Jade Palace with the Furious Five and Po. You didn't write, you didn't invite us to your wedding, and you didn't come home. How would you know what we were going through?"

It really has been awhile, Viper thought sadly. "If you wanted me to come home, I would've, Jia."

"No... The only reason why you came back this time was because daddy asked you to, and he wanted to see if you were married. If Xiang, Mei-Ling, or I asked you to visit, you would say no..."

The door slid open and Mei-Ling stepped into Viper's room. She looked at Jia before turning to Viper. "Lynnah, Mayleen, and Yenni are here."

"Thanks, Mei-Ling," Viper said smiling and moving to the door.

"Viper, wait!" Jia cried. Viper turned to her. Last chance... If this doesn't work, then it's over... There was nothing else she could do... "Viper, if you leave with them tonight, you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life... You'll be hurting yourself all over again... You'll be letting go of Master Crane. Don't let go of him... He's the best thing in your life... Choose, Viper! Who do you want tonight? Who will define the rest of your life? Those girls, or him?"

After a moments silence, Viper said, "Tell Crane where I'm going so he won't worry..." With that she was gone, and Jia was more broken then ever...

"What now?" Mei-Ling asked breaking the silence and the leftover tension, that was still thick in the air.

"I don't know!" Jia yelled. "Quit asking me because I don't know! I don't know so just leave me alone, Mei-Ling!"

"Okay! I'm sorry!" Mei-Ling instantly left the room closing the door behind her leaving Jia in Viper's room...

I hope Viper isn't mad that I'm late, Crane thought rushing to Great Master Viper's house. After his headache cleared off, he spent the whole day meditating and training on the mountain top. He lost track of time while he was meditating and almost forgot he was going out tonight with Viper.

Crane grinned to himself when he made it to the Great Master's house. He quietly opened the door and walked inside the quiet house.

"Viper!" Crane called out breaking the silence. "I'm sorry I'm late." He waited but when he didn't get an answer, he walked to Viper's room and stood outside her door.

Crane figured she was probably mad about him being late, so he tried to come up with a good reason for why he was late. Unable to think of one he decided to just wing it. He slid open her door and stepped inside...

"Viper, I..." Crane stopped when he saw a little blue snake sitting on the bed. Jia? He was in Viper's room, right? He looked around. Yes, all pink. "Hi, Jia... What are you doing here? And where's Viper?"

Jia sighed sadly. "Viper wanted me to tell you, she's going out with friends tonight... But she promises to go out with you tomorrow night."

"Oh..." Crane said after a moments silence. He was looking forward to his night out with Viper.

Jia didn't know what to make of his answer. She pouted. Stupid Kung Fu masters and their ability to show lack of emotion.

Crane sighed. Viper never stood him up before, even when she made him go shopping with her! But Crane understood why Viper stood him up tonight. Viper had been away from her village for a very long time and she wanted to have fun and spend time with them. Right now, he wanted her to have fun. Pretty soon they would have to focus on her complicated plan, then they would be going back to the Jade Palace.

Crane turned his attention back to Jia. "I didn't have dinner yet sooo... Do you and your sisters want to go with me?"

"Oh! Xiang and Mei-Ling already ate!" Jia said excitedly. "I'll go with you! Like a date, right?"

Crane frowned. Viper was young, but Jia was younger. Hey, he had limits too. "No, not a date... You're very young..."

"Oh... Okay," Jia blushed and giggled. "Let's go, I know a nice restaurant we can go to."

Crane reluctantly followed Jia out of Viper's room. He sighed and smiled. If Monkey and Mantis saw him now, they wouldn't shut up about him "cheating on Viper with her sister." No, he wasn't like that, he was just a nice guy wanting to make a good impression on her family.

"So is this restaurant like the one your father took us to last night?"

"Yes, but it's better."

"How?"

Jia thought about it. "I don't know... But I assure you, Master Crane, it's way better."

"You can call me just Crane, Jia. I am married to you sister."

"Okay."

When they were outside, Crane asked, "So, Viper's friends... Who are they?" He didn't mean to pry, but he was curious. He didn't know what Viper's life was like before she came to the Jade Palace, and he wanted to know more.

"Oh..." Jia said nervously. "They're just some girls Viper grew up with... They're her... Best friends..." She started to feel sick.

"That's nice," Crane said. Maybe Viper will let me meet them sometime, he thought.

Jia sighed. She hated to admit it but sometimes the lie was better then the actual truth.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This seems like a short chapter... Anyway if you went on deviantart you might've already read this but here's the real chapter 7. Chapter 8 might take awhile because school is starting soon and I have to rewrite it after it got deleted. I might've mentioned this in my profile, but be careful with deviantart. I got the MoneyPak virus from it. If you like deviantart my advice would be to view pictures and stories from your phone. Its safer.<strong>


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